Pesky Kitty

I like to think a cat’s true personality really shines between 6:00 and 7:00 am. It’s that magical hour when your independent, aloof, sometimes downright rude feline suddenly needs you more than anything else in life.

Every morning, my cat Monica likes to casually walk across my face a few times. If that doesn’t work, she curls up on my chest or back and purrs as loudly as possible, sometimes with her nose actually touching my ear. If that fails, she meows quietly while placing her paw on my eyelids or mouth. This morning, she decided to knock things off my nightstand one by one: BlackBerry, glasses, book, pen.

Luisa takes a different approach. If there’s a plastic bag handy (and there usually is some type of shopping bag in my room), she’ll begin to lick it. The rhythmic critch…critch…critch is like nails on a chalkboard, and it usually does the trick within a few seconds. If I hide under the covers and resist, Luisa sits outside my roommate’s door and attacks her feet when she comes out. In cat logic, I’m sure this plan makes perfect sense.

We recently asked our Pets Best Insurance Facebook friends to share the tricks their cats pull in the morning. Here’s a sampling of the best (or worst, I suppose):

• One of my cats pees on my bed if I’m not up at daybreak to feed him! – The Dog House Los Angeles

• Mine jump in the window and rattle the blinds, usually with two paws on a row. Then they move their paws up and down. – Tamara F.

• They scratch at the wooden sides of my bed. A simple “git” or “psss” just moves them for a minute. – Dana D.

• Izzy plays with the mail slot at the base of the front door. – William D.

• She licks my hair. – Mandy L.

• One of them combs my hair with his paw. The other one paws at my face. – Kimmie V.

• They bounce on me. If I shut the door, Shadow paws the door like he is shaking it off the hinges. His brother Smokey just meows pitifully outside the closed door. – Casey L.

• The weirdest was one who would sit on my chest and lick my eyelashes. Ack! – Laura N.

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